These days I am rarely a game master for RPGs. Currently I am creating a run for #shadowrun which is called “The Humanis Policlub Took My Baby Away”. And I just noticed that this is the third run in a row where the objective is to free someone or something. I really need to change this for the next run.

All runs are one-shots created like half a year apart, so it didn´t really occur to me that I am always doing some kind of the same objective.

Run 1 - Free the Girl

The first run in that “series” was that the runners shall free a teenage-girl from a villa where she was hold against her will. In the end it turned out that it was a divorce-case where the mother tried to flee with her daughter from her husband. The runners were hired by the father who turned out to be a blood mage for Aztlan and they had to decide if they delivered the girl or not.
I know that the title is crap but I didn´t need to come up with something. That title is how it is in my notes-files.

Run 2 - Bloody Asphalt

This one was about a robbed rigger. The robbed rigger (an NPC who was hospitalized for the run) was a part of the team the characters played. He was robbed and his car was stolen in front of a stuffers shack. The runners had to find it and bring it back.

Run 3 - The Humanis Policlub Took My Baby Away

Well, the title says all I guess. The girlfriend of the brother of one of the runners got snatched by the Humanis Policlub. And now he asks his brother and his team for help to free her. I won´t share any details here since I will play it next week and still working out the details. But each time I think more about it, it becomes a bit more interesting I think. Just the question: why did the Humanis Policlub kidnapped her and why doesn´t the brother recruit his own gang for example to free her (the original idea was that he is a ganger) changed it yesterday quite a bit. And I could soften up the last scene which was pretty heavy in the beginning and could have made players kinda uncomfortable. Now the evil is still there but the last scene will happen someplace else.

I wanted to note something for other shadowrun-game masters. If you are doing one-shots, it is really helpful to skip the “Meet the Johnson”-phase. That one costs only time, and you can directly skip to the part where the team established that they are working together and will do the run. No “I won´t get paid, so I don´t do it” or long haggle-sessions for the price. In a normal campaign, you can do that as well but this is a real time saver and saves you from the awkward situation that a player might decide that they think that their character won´t do something or has to do it another way which only disturbs the session.

I am also currently reading “So You want to be a Game Master” by Justin Alexander and it is quite interesting and helpful in creating that third run. And even though I do a lot of things already in that book, it is worth a read for inexperienced and experienced game masters alike. Inexperienced game masters will of course get more out of it.

The last thing I want to mention is that I asked for fun ChatGPT to change the lyrics for “The KKK Took My Baby Away” by the Ramones to fit “The Humanis Policlub Took My Baby Away”. And I was surprised how good it turned out:

(Verse 1)
Late at night, in the neon glow,
My baby’s gone, lost to the shadows.
In the sprawl where danger’s the law,
The Humanis came, left me in awe.

(Pre-Chorus)
Runners of the shadows, hear my plea,
Bring her back, set my baby free.
In the darkness where secrets play,
I’m calling out to you, find a way.

(Chorus)
The Humanis took my love away,
Down in the shadows where the runners stray.
Mercenaries, heart of the night,
Bring her back, make it right.

(Verse 2)
Chrome and magic, the city’s heartbeat,
Whispers in the darkness, secrets they keep.
She’s out there, caught in the vice,
Runners, I need you, roll the dice.

(Pre-Chorus)
Runners of the shadows, heed my cry,
In the underworld, where shadows lie.
Through the sprawl, where danger’s rife,
Bring her back, save my life.

(Chorus)
The Humanis took my love away,
Down in the shadows where the runners stray.
Mercenaries, heart of the night,
Bring her back, make it right.

(Bridge)
Through the matrix, in the back alleys,
Follow the trail, where darkness rallies.
Runners, hunters, seekers of fate,
Rescue my love, don’t hesitate.

(Verse 3)
In the city of sin, where the streets are mean,
She’s a pawn in a game, a part of the scene.
To the shadows, where the runners tread,
Bring her back, or I’ll be dead.

(Pre-Chorus)
Runners of the shadows, don’t delay,
In the web of intrigue, find a way.
Through the chaos, where the secrets breed,
Bring her back, fulfill this need.

(Chorus)
The Humanis took my love away,
Down in the shadows where the runners stray.
Mercenaries, heart of the night,
Bring her back, make it right.